Eye closing devices for dolls



Oct. 27, 1942 w, N, WHEELER 2,300,079

EYE CLOS ING DEVICE S FOR DOLLS 2 Sheets-Sheet '1 Filed Aug. 13, 1941 W/LL/AM 'A/ h msam,

Attorney Oct. 27, 1942; w, N, WHEELER 2,300,079

EYE CLOSING DEVICES FOR DOLLS Filed Aug. 13. 1941 Z-Sheets-Sheet 2 Inventor W/L A MM /V. WHEEL ER,

' Attaruey Patented Oct. 27, 1942 UNITED STATES RATENT OFFICE EYE CLOSING DEVICES FOR DOLLS William N. Wheeler, Lexington, Ky.

Application August 13, 1941, Serial No. 406,708

3 Claims.

This invention relates to an eye closing device for dolls, the general object of the invention being to provide lids for the doll with means whereby the lids will close when the doll is held in the arms of a child and the doll rocked back and forth whereby the doll will have the appearance of gradually dropping off to sleep when it is rocked back and forth in the arms of the child.

This invention also consists in certain other features of construction and in the combination and arrangement of the several parts to be hereinafter fully described, illustrated in the accompanying drawings and specifically pointed out in the appended claims.

In describing the invention in detail, reference will be had to the accompanying drawings wherein like characters denote like or corresponding parts throughout the several views, and in which:

Figure 1 is a fragmentary vertical sectional view through the head of a doll constructed in accordance with this invention with the lids being open or raised.

Figure 2 is a similar view but showing the parts into position when the doll is in a horizontal position and this view showing the lid closing the eye, this view also showing parts of the invention in section.

Figure 3 is a bottom plan view of the invention.

Figure 4 is a section on the line 44 of Figure 2.

In these drawings the letter A indicates a part of the head of the doll and the letter B indicates one of the eyes of the doll and in carrying out the invention a slot I is formed in the head above each eye. A bracket C is suitably supported in the head and includes a forwardly extending part 2 which carries a pivot pin 3 for a weight 4. This weight is formed with the perforated ears 5 through which passes for sliding movement a rod 6 having a disk-shaped head 1 at its outer end. A curved strip 8 has an enlarged part 9 at one end thereof which is carried by a pivot pin l held for pivotal movement in a part II of the braket C and an arm I2 is connected with this part 9 and extends at substantially right angles to the strip 8 and has a weight I3 at its free end. The inner end of the arm is enlarged and has a short arcuate shaped slot I4 therein for receiving a pin l carried by a part of the bracket for limiting oscillating movement of the arm I2, and the strip 8. The free end of this strip has a part l6 thereon which slopes slightly downwardly and forwardly and this part terminates in a horizontal part ll which forms a stop for the head I of the pin 6. The curved part of the strip is of channel shape in cross section as shown in Figure 4 and a stop [8 is formed on the depending part of the portion 2 of the bracket for engagement by one of the ears 5 for limiting forward move ment of the weight 4. Another stop I9 is formed on the horizontal portion of the part 2 of the bracket for limiting movement of the weight 4 downwardly when the doll is held in substantially horizontal position. These stops ll, i8 and L! can be provided with rubber covers so that the parts striking them will not make any noise.

As will be seen from Figure 1, when the doll is held in an upright position the weight 4 will swing forwardly until the upper ear 5 will engage the stop I3 and in this position of the weight 4 the lid forming members 20 will be in raised and open position so that they will not cover the eyes. These lid forming members are formed on the ends of a substantially T-shaped member 21, the inner end of which is fastened to the weight 4. Also when the upper ear 5 of the weight 4 is engaging the stop !8 the head 1 of pin 6 will be resting on the stop I! and out of engagement with the sloping part I6.

Then when the doll is placed in a substantially horizontal position, such as when the child holds the doll in its arms to cause the doll to go to sleep, the weight 4 will move downwardly slightly until the head 1 engages the part It when further downward movement of this weight 4 is stopped. Then when the doll is given a rocking movement, such as when a child is rocking it to sleep, the weight l3 will cause oscillation of the arm l2 which imparts oscillatory movement to the strip 8 and this causes the sloping part [6 to rock back and forth against the head 1.

Now when the doll is held horizontally, the part N5 of the strip 8 inclines downwardly rearwardly of the head 1 of rod 6 and said head rests on said part. Since, as we have seen, the rod 6 is slidable and rotatable in the ears 5 of the weight 4, also the head 1, when the strip 8 is 0scillated in the manner described about the axis of the pin l0 and because of. the described inclination of the part l6, said head I and pin are oscillated by frictional engagement of the part IS with the head 1, the latter rolling on said part 16 and riding down said part gradually under the influence of gravity, the pin 6 sliding rearwardly in the ears 5. When the head I rides clown and off the inclined part 16, the weight 4 is released and drops against the stop l9, the head 1 sliding flatwise on the curved strip 8 down the same. Such action of the weight 4 swings the member 2| to move the lids 20 over the eyes of the doll to close the same.

Thus a doll constructed in accordance with this invention will have the appearance that it is gradually dropping oil to sleep as it is being rocked in the arms of a child as the lids will close during the rocking motion.

It is thought from the foregoing description that the advantages and novel features of the invention will be readily apparent.

It is to be understood that changes may be made in the construction and in the combination and arrangement of the several parts provided that such changes fall within the scope of the appended claims.

Having described the invention, what is claimed as new is:

1. In a doll having slots in its head above the eyes, a supporting member in the head, a weight pivoted to the supporting member, a T-shaped bar connected with the weight and having lid forming members on the ends of its head. for passing through the slots to cover the eyes when the doll is in a horizontal position, the weight holding the lid forming members upwardly and in eye uncovering position, a bar pivotally connected with the supporting member and having a sloping part at its free end terminating in a horizontal stop forming part, a pin slidably carried by the weight and having a head thereon for engaging the stop forming part when the doll is in a vertical position, a weighted arm connected with the pivotal point of the bar and extending at right angles therefrom and imparting an oscillatory movement to the bar when the doll is rocked and held in a horizontal position, whereby the head of the pin will engage the sloping part and the rocking movement will cause the pin to travel down the sloping part, after which the head of the pin will pass off the sloping part and permit the weight to cause the lid carrying member to move to a position where the lid will cover the eyes.

2. In a doll having slots in its head above the eyes, a supporting member in the head, a weight pivoted to the supporting member, a T-shaped bar connected with the weight and having lid forming members on the ends of its head for passing through the slots to cover the eyes when the doll is in a horizontal position, the weight holding the lid forming members upwardly and in eye uncovering position, a bar pivotally connected with the supporting member and having a sloping part at its free end terminating in a horizontal stop forming part, a pin slidably carried by the weight and having a head thereon for engaging the stop forming part when the doll is in a vertical position, a weighted arm connected with the pivotal point of the bar and extending at right angles therefrom and imparting an oscillatory movement to the bar when the doll is rocked and held in a horizontal position, whereby the head of the pin will engage the sloping part and the rocking movement will cause the pin to travel down the sloping part, after which the head of the pin will pass off the sloping part and permit the weight to cause the lid carrying member to move to a position where the lids will cover the eyes, a stop member on the supporting member for limiting downward and forward movement of the weight when the doll is in vertical position and a stop member for limiting downward movement of the Weight when the doll is in horizontal position and means for limiting the oscillating movement of the weight carrying arm.

3. In a doll having slots in the head thereof above the eyes, a pair of eyelid members adapted for movement into and out of said slots into eye opening and closing positions, respectively, and means to move said lid members including a weight pivoted in said head for swinging movement under the influence of gravity when the doll is tilted from upright to reclining position, and means to control swinging of said weight comprising a counterweighted bar pivoted in said head for oscillation laterally under rocking of the doll while in reclining position, a member on said weight engaging said bar in the upright position of the doll to block swinging movement of the weight, said member being rotatable and slidable on said weight to disengaged position under oscillation of said bar to thereby free the Weight for swinging movement in the reclining position of the doll.

WILLIAlVI N. WHEELER. 

